So there seems to be quite a difference in meaning in the USA of the word "wicked" through out.

In New England, it can mean "bad" in a delicious sort of way. However, in Maine it has a little more of a good connotation or excitement, such as "Wicked Good!", or "That party was wicked!" meaning "Awesome party Dude!"

However, in valley speak (mid 80s Southern California) it seems to have had a different connotation. Any Rebel-Yankee meanings to this word?

Wicked has many meanings here in Florida. in the surfer/skater circles,they tend to use wicked meaning very good. Other smilar words are "bad" meaning very good. example: Dude, that was a "bad" wave." This means that the wave was big, which is good for surfing. Also used by the skater types is "insane." Example: "man, that 360 you just pulled was "insane." This does not mean that the person is crazy for trying it (although that is sometimes true), it means that it was a very good trick. You have to use context clues and consider the situation in which the word is being used.